An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 88

#18 – A More Suitable Person (3)

After a long vacation, I visited the company. Well, it felt long to me, anyway.

In reality, it was a much shorter break than I’d anticipated.

A sudden advertisement offer forced me to rush back for a meeting.

And honestly, the prospect was thrilling.

My first advertisement.

Moreover, the fact that it was for hiking clothes and sportswear made me excited. It’s common knowledge that competition for hiking apparel ads is fierce among actors.

A sportswear model is practically seen as one of the hottest stars at any given time.

Since I was being considered for that role, taking a break wasn’t even a consideration.

For me, work came first.

“Hee-sung, what about your rest? You haven’t had much of one,” Manager Kim asked, his brow furrowed.

“No, I didn’t really want a long rest anyway. And when such a good opportunity came up, I had to jump on it.”

“Haha, that’s true. Finally, your first advertisement! I’m so excited for you.”

Manager Kim was as happy as if he were the one shooting the ad.

His enthusiasm made me smile with pride.

“Before the meeting, let’s review the brand’s previous advertisements and photos.”

“Okay.”

I had prepared materials about the brand in advance.

We sat side-by-side in the conference room and looked through the files.

Power Balance.

A Korean hiking and sportswear brand that initially featured only male models.

However, as the brand gained popularity, they started pairing male and female models for contracts a few years ago.

This highlighted the increasing importance of women’s sportswear.

Naturally, the brand’s sales skyrocketed.

Looking at the print advertisements featuring models who had worked with the brand for years, my heart fluttered again.

The thought that I was becoming a model and actor who could stand alongside them filled me with pride.

I had only ever seen these advertisements; I never imagined I’d actually be in one.

“If you become a Power Balance model, Hee-sung, you’ll be wearing and using Power Balance clothes and shoes. Haha,” Manager Kim said, pointing to a model’s outfit in a photo.

I grinned at his words.

“Of course. I’m going to fill my closet and shoe rack with Power Balance gear from now on. Haha.”

“Anyway, this is great. Only our company’s PR team and a few Power Balance employees will be at today’s meeting.”

I nodded and asked, “So, what’s the contract period for the advertisement?”

“We’ll decide that today. The length of the period, the advertising fee, and other details.”

My eyes widened, and I took a deep breath.

After a few minutes,

“Let’s move to the big conference room next door.”

“Okay.”

Manager Kim and I moved to the conference room.

Inside, Team Leader Han Sung-min and employee Jo Ah-hyun from HS Entertainment’s PR team were already seated.

“Hello.”

I bowed to them.

Team Leader Han and Jo Ah-hyun stood up and returned my greeting.

“Hello, Hee-sung.”

I hadn’t had many opportunities to interact with the PR team.

I’d only met Team Leader Han a couple of times at the company.

Jo Ah-hyun was a new face to me.

Team Leader Han looked like he’d been a fixture at HS Entertainment for a long time.

Jo Ah-hyun, on the other hand, seemed like a newbie fresh out of college.

Her glamorous makeup and enthusiastic demeanor, constantly smiling and looking around, gave off the impression of a young, ambitious professional.

Soon after, the Power Balance employees arrived.

We exchanged greetings and took our seats.

After the initial awkwardness subsided,

The conversation turned to the main topic.

“First, let’s set the contract period to six months.”

A six-month contract is considered relatively short in the advertising world.

“If things go well, we’re considering extending it,” an employee from Power Balance added.

Team Leader Han smiled and nodded.

“Yes, that’s great. Jin Hee-sung is a steadily rising actor, so I’m sure you’ll want to extend the contract. Haha.”

The conference room filled with laughter thanks to Team Leader Han’s salesmanship and banter.

“We hope so too. The advertisement needs to be successful for both Hee-sung and us to benefit, right?”

The Power Balance employee smiled, glanced at the documents they had brought, and continued, “And the advertising fee is 100 million won [approximately $80,000 USD].”

My jaw dropped, but I quickly composed myself.

…Jackpot.

I knew advertising fees were high, but 100 million won for a six-month contract?

I barely managed to contain my excitement and listened intently.

“There will be three photoshoots and one live broadcast appearance. That’s our plan.”

Team Leader Han nodded and accepted the documents.

“We’ll review everything internally.”

“Yes, we’ll contact you through our staff to schedule the next meeting.”

With that, the first meeting ended successfully.

The Power Balance employees left the conference room.

Only Team Leader Han, Jo Ah-hyun, Manager Kim, and I remained.

All eyes were on me.

“The conditions seem good. If Hee-sung agrees, we can proceed with the next meeting,” Team Leader Han said.

I immediately replied, “I’m definitely okay with it!”

“Great, then we’ll double-check the contract conditions and set a meeting date.”

Manager Kim spoke up, “Yes, Team Leader. Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome.”

***

After the meetings, Manager Kim and I headed to our usual practice room.

As soon as we closed the door, Manager Kim clapped his hands.

“Hee-sung, congratulations!”

“Haha, congratulating me so suddenly,” I said, waving my hand, but a smile spread across my face.

My first advertisement.

After the meeting, it finally hit me.

I couldn’t stop laughing.

Now, we just needed to set up the next meeting and sign the contract… and it would be official.

As I savored the moment, I suddenly thought about my acting work.

I couldn’t just sit around waiting for the advertisement.

I sat down and looked at Manager Kim.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], have any new scripts come in?”

He widened his eyes. “I sent them to you by email last time. Have you already read them all?”

He was referring to the scripts I’d requested after the zombie dream.

“Yeah, I checked them all that day.”

“You’re amazing. You could take it slow…”

He smiled and shook his head, then looked at me. “No. If a drama airs around the time the advertisement comes out, it would be perfect.”

Manager Kim’s eyes sparkled.

I grinned.

“Yeah, that’s a real win-win.”

“Yeah, if you shoot the advertisement for six months, you can extend the contract right away.”

We laughed, dreaming of a bright future.

Beep, beep.

Manager Kim’s phone rang.

He checked it and jumped up. “Hee-sung, wait a minute. I’ll take this call and organize the scripts.”

“Okay, take your time.”

Manager Kim hurried out.

Not long after, the door reopened.

“Hyung, are you back already?”

I looked up from my phone.

It wasn’t Manager Kim.

It was Song Yu-na.

“Oh, what brings you here, Yu-na?”

She squinted, wearing a hat pulled low.

“Come upstairs for a bit.”

Without even greeting me properly, Song Yu-na abruptly called me out.

She turned and walked away.

“She didn’t even explain what’s going on…”

But it was the first time she’d called me like this.

Thinking there must be a reason, I followed her.

When I got to the terrace, Song Yu-na looked around, checking to see if anyone was there.

I’d already scanned the area on my way in, so I said, “There’s no one here.”

“Ah…”

Song Yu-na crossed her arms and pushed up her glasses.

Long hair, a hat pulled down low, and large, horn-rimmed glasses without lenses.

It was obvious she wasn’t here for filming.

I carefully asked, “What’s going on?”

It was the first time I’d spoken to Song Yu-na alone, especially since she had initiated it.

I was curious.

Could it be that she came to thank me for what happened at the campsite?

If so, she didn’t need to come all the way here…

Song Yu-na cleared her throat. “It’s about what happened in the mountains.”

As expected.

I smiled. “Ah, I already repaid you with ramen…”

Before I could finish, Song Yu-na interrupted, “Keep that a secret.”

“Pardon?”

“Make sure it doesn’t leak out. Keep it a secret.”

“Ah…”

I trailed off.

It was unexpected.

Well, Song Yu-na had never fit my expectations.

The fact that she came to ask me to keep a secret, not to express gratitude, made me chuckle.

“Is that why you came?”

“I also had some business at the company… Anyway, be sure to keep it a secret.”

Song Yu-na’s eyes were intense.

I raised my eyebrows and smiled faintly. “Yes, of course. I’ll keep the secret… for sure.”

She pressed down on her hat and walked past me.

Did she really come all the way here just to say that?

I tilted my head, watching her leave.

‘I really can’t figure out Song Yu-na at all.’

***

I went to the company every day to look at scripts.

Before I knew it, more than a week had passed.

“Hyung, when is our next advertisement meeting?”

Manager Kim sighed. “I was just coming back from the PR team.”

“What did they say?”

Instead of answering, he bit his lip.

“Why? What is it?”

Manager Kim frowned. “The meeting… has been put on hold.”

My face fell.

I tilted my head. “…Why?”

“I don’t know. Team Leader Han took the day off, so I couldn’t contact him. I checked with Jo Ah-hyun, who was at the meeting.”

I was speechless.

I thought we’d set up a meeting and sign the contract right away.

Now, the meeting was on hold.

As I remained silent, Manager Kim stood up, his face stiff. “I can’t just sit here. I’ll go check again.”

He jumped up to go to the PR office.

I followed him. “Let’s go together.”

When we arrived, Team Leader Han was absent.

Jo Ah-hyun widened her eyes in surprise and nodded.

We sat down and started talking.

“Manager Kim, Team Leader Han will be back after the weekend. Please check with him then…”

Manager Kim suppressed a sigh. “Still, Ah-hyun, you must know something. Why was the meeting put on hold?”

“That’s… I can’t tell you…”

From her tone, actions, and expressions, she seemed to know something.

I spoke up. “Ah-hyun, you know I was really looking forward to this advertisement. Can you at least tell me a little bit about why it’s on hold?”

She kept her mouth shut.

“It was going to be my first advertisement… Can you tell me at least a little bit of the reason…”

Jo Ah-hyun met my eyes, her lips pursed in a troubled expression.

Then, she opened her phone. “Haa… So, what happened was…”

The phone displayed a group chat with Power Balance employees.

The content was a conversation about the model contract.

Power Balance Employee: Oh! With such drastic conditions?

Team Leader Han: Yes, but I would like to change the model to actor Baek Young-hoon.

Power Balance Employee: Ah, the actor you mentioned yesterday is Baek Young-hoon?

Team Leader Han: Yes, that’s right. Is it possible?

Power Balance Employee: It will probably be possible. I confirmed the model change with the company.

Team Leader Han: Then, let’s put the contract with Jin Hee-sung on hold for now.

Power Balance Employee: Yes, I’m revising the contract.

What… is this?

Baek Young-hoon?